


Paper Birds

by Jenn_Calaelen



Category: Babylon 5
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-28
Updated: 2012-07-28
Packaged: 2017-11-10 21:56:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/471131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenn_Calaelen/pseuds/Jenn_Calaelen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following the Markab plague, Delenn wants to perform a ritual of moving on</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paper Birds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zebra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zebra/gifts).



"Captain, do you have some time?"

"Yes, Delenn."

"I wish to talk to your about Lyta. I understand she is no longer here, but some of what she said concerned me. Will you come here and talk to me?"

"Certainly, at once."

*** 

Delenn welcomes him into her quarters, he enters nevously, but at least Lennier is not there this time. She pour him tea, and they both sit down at the table. Sheridan waited for her to broach the subject.

"When she was here Lyta suggested that there was a spy in your ranks." Delenn said, calmly.

"She did. The situation has been resolved."

"Could it be a problem with regards to the situation I discussed with your before?"

"It should not. The spy had not been informed, and I doubt would have had access to any sensitive information."

"I see. Is the identity of this spy a secret?"

He hesitated. "I guess it is safe to explain to you – Ms Winters was the spy, but she did not know it. Did Lyta explain that?"

"After a fashion – that it was a Psi Corps program and the spy would not know who they were."

"That is the gist of it."

"Gist?"

"Summary."

"I see." She sipped her tea.

Reminded, he followed suit, not wanting to offend her – even if the drink in question have very little flavor. 

"Any success from your attempts to find survivors of the Markab race?"

She looked away from her. "No. I fear that any survivors have gone into hiding, and so there is nothing that can be done to help them."

"If you do find any and need any help-" he offered.

"Thank you, John. There is a ritual that I wish to perform – to move on from their passing. It was instituted by my people to move on from tragic deaths,."

He nodded, cursing slightly – the rituals Delenn introduced were strange and he had dozens of things competing for his attention, and yet he did not want to refuse her. "When would this be?"

"Tomorrow. Come here at the same time – it will only take around three hours."

"I am not sure that I can spare that long."

"Commander Ivanova tells me she can run the station."

He sighed. "very well. Is there anything I should bring?"

"No. Nothing is needed that I will not provide." she said, getting to her feet.

He stood, stiffly – sitting on the floor was not generally something he practised. "Until tomorrow, Delenn."

She smiled at him as she opened the door. "Until tomorrow, John."

  


Sheridan spent the next morning longing for an emergency – something to get him out of the ritual, however, for once everything seemed to be working calmly. So he presented himself to Delenn's quarters at the designated time. Lennier opened the door to him, and bowed slightly as he entered. 

Delenn was sitting at the table, with Dr Franklin on one side.

"Come and sit down. We were awaiting you."

He sat down on Delenn's left and Lennier sat down to his right. 

"This is a ritual more move on from tragic death. I have invited the two of you as those most effected by the deaths of the Markab here to partake in it."

Sheridan looked across at Stephen, wondering if he knew any more about the ritual or why the table appeared to be piled with coloured paper. It all seemed very unlikely.

"Lennier – do you have the patterns? Generally this is expected to be done from memory, but as you are not familiar with the ritual I asked Lennier to find patterns to aid you."

As she was speaking Lennier passed him and Dr Franklin several pieces of paper – each seemingly a set of instructions. 

"Now for this we pick out colours and fold birds according to these instructions. Each is then taken and hung on these cords." Delenn gestured.

"Really?" Sheridan asked. "Why?"

"Following this we will light candles and watch the birds fly in the light and draughts. This allows us to recapture the joy lost from the deaths."

"Okay," Sheridan said bemused, watching as the other started folding the paper. Then he shrugged and had a go – the patterns were long and detailed, requiring a lot of concentration to start with. Delenn finished first and hung the first bird on a cord hanging across the room. Lennier followed her – the two birds moved slightly in the room – from the air circulation system. Sheridan finished his first bird – he could see that it hardly looked as was expected, but hung it up, setting the whole cord swaying.

"See how the birds fly and glimmer in the light?"

He nodded as Franklin hung his first bird up – better than Sheridan's first attempt, but as a doctor he would need to be very accurate with his hands.

"The colours and designs reignite joy – do you not have such rituals?"

"Nothing like this that I know of." 

"Well, some cultures use funerals to tells stories of the life of the dead one, and there are many rituals involving lights to reawaken hope – for example Christmas and many other winter festivals," Stephen said. 

"Fascinating," said Lennier.

"Come on – there are more birds to be folded. Now, for the second ones, we each start a bird – do one fold only, then pass it on to the person on your left."

This required even more concentration – to try and work out which was the next fold needed – although he noticed that Delenn and Lennier did not seem to even need to think about this. Suddenly Sheridan wondered how many times this ritual had been performed in the aftermath of his destruction of the Black Star.

After these bird were completed and hung Delenn said,

"Now, this time – you pass two back and forth across the table."

Over the next hours they each folded many birds to the different patterns and ways of doing so. The room came alive in colour – and it did seem to lightly the pain from the deaths of the Markabs – plus Sheridan was amused by it for it was not something that he had imagined Delenn doing, and yet it did seem to suit her as well.

After he took his leave, he walked back to his quarters smiling.


End file.
